


Gondo's runecraftastic adventure

by Razord



Category: Overlord - Maruyama Kugane & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24901417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razord/pseuds/Razord
Summary: Gondo has suddenly been summoned to Nazarick's throne room. What does fate have in store for our favourite dwarf? Watch as he's joined with other famous characters for a 100% OC free adventure! Non-canon side story happening during the events of chapter 14!
Kudos: 5





	1. The Call

Deep in the Underground Tomb of Nazarick a very unusual visitor was nervously waiting in front of the doors that lead to the Throne Room on the 10th floor.

Gondo FIrebeard had suddenly been summoned by his benefactor two years after transferring to the human settlement named Cairne Village along with many of his brethrens.

The wise king had seen the potential that the runecraft practiced by the craftsman’s ancestors, thus decided to offer the dwarf and his people the chance to study the lost art while being funded by the mysterious but seemingly unlimited wealth of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

Thanks to this influent patron and the benefits brought to all the the dwarves, the runesmiths have been hailed as heroes by most of their people, apart from a few oddballs like the Forgemaster, and have focused on surpassing their ancestors’ knowledge on inscribing words to imbue objects with power.

This has led to several revolutionary discoveries, as runes could be applied for multiple appliances outside of warfare: examples included the now famous Rune Carrousel, a mobile tourist attraction that used rune magic to quickly mount and unmount itself, or in the culinary world the Runekrapfen and the Runecrust, two types of sweet with a simple rune to exalt the favour that were quickly becoming much demanded delicacies in the Sorcerous Kingdom.

Despite the successes Gondo was still unsatisfied as he wasn’t able to replicate neither the works of ages of the past nor the splendid sword inscribed by 20 runes that the Sorcerous King showed them when he visited the dwarven kingdom and was now hailed in taverns as the pinnacle of dwarven potential, even surpassing the hammer with 6 runes created by the greatest known forgemaster. 

So far the maximum amount the runesmiths managed to reach was 5, which was still leagues away from their goal…

Gondo was surprised when he was startled by the sudden appearance of an otherworldly class beauty with black hair neatly tied into a low-cropped bun at the back of her head, with a strict but gentle looking eyes that emanated from behind her glasses, dressing with a maid uniform with huge spiked gauntlets that ill matched the air of kindness of the girl.

“I am Ainz’s sama’s maid, Yuri Alpha. My master has requested for your presence at the great tomb of Nazarick”

Such an order had never happened before, so Gondo did not know how to respond to it. However in the end he decided to have faith in his saviour and followed the maid through a pitch black portal that spawned out of nothing in front of them.

The dwarf ended up in what he could only call the realm of the gods, as he was surrounded by works of art that would make renowned sculptors and artists shed tears of joy while they would dedicate their lives to study this place.

The feeling was so overwhelming he did not hear the words that the maid who later popped out of the huge door spoke to him and had to ask for her to repeat them.

“...I said that Ainz-sama allows you to meet him inside the throne room!”

With anxiety in his heart he opened the doors that lead to his destiny…

And gasped.

Inside there were decorations whose magnificence surpassed even the amazing sights of the previous hall, with 41 banners showcasing crests whose meaning eluded Gondo’s understanding and a multitude of maids standing in a perfect pair of columns, forming a passage to a throne whose complexity and majesty was clearly above the mortal capabilities to emulate.

Sitting on such a mighty throne was the one addressed by kings as a king among them, the overlord Ainz Ooal Gown.

The dwarf was so awed by the sight in front of him he could only genuflect to the supreme ruler, who after seeing the gesture addressed the dwarf with one hand.

“You may raise your head, my friend. 

I invited you here because I have much to discuss with you and unfortunately little time to do so. 

Despite not being able to meet you during these last two years I have seen the improvements of the runesmiths spearheaded by yourself and they have been quite astonishing. 

You have managed to delve deep in the various branches that the runecraftTM could offer, which greatly helped my kingdom and for that you have my gratitude” Ainz concluded while lowering his head.

The praise to his work and the feeling that his patron had a special interest for the arts that he was trying to revive greatly moved Gondo’s heart.

“Thank you, my lord... 

I will make sure to convey your words to my coworkers, they will surely be even more grateful to work for you!”

“I’m glad to hear that, but the reason behind this meeting is this!” the overlord exclaimed as his hands produced a weapon out of seemingly nothing.

Gondo was not only surprised at this sudden appearance, but also for what the object was.

“This… This is…!”

Ainz nodded in agreement at his interlocutor’s understanding “Indeed, this is the result of the combined efforts of your species: the [Ultimate Shootingstar Morning Star]! 

This club imbued with 5 runes is the proof that your research is steadily progressing, which gave me an idea: I have been meaning to explore the rift near the dwarven capital, so I have put up an elite team to peak into the unknown and I want you to accompany them while wielding this this powerful runecraftedTM weapon”

The craftsman was initially appalled by this offer as he was not a warrior, then he understood: his benefactor wanted to let Gondo be the first one to try his own creation. 

For an artisan being able to try their own invention was a very rare occurrence, yet the benefactor in front of him had arranged to create the perfect opportunity to not only do that, but also to receive great honors among the dwarves for doing a quest no one did before.

Gondo felt unworthy of the consideration given to him by the great man sitting on the throne, so the least he could do was bow even deeper than before.

“Many thanks, my lord! I, Gondo Firebeard will make sure to bring results worthy of the faith you put in me!”

“Very good, I have high hopes for your performance, my friend. Now, follow the maid outside the doors: she will lead you to a teleporter where you will be sent to the gathering point of the team…”

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Author’s Space!

Hi dear reader, thanks for reading this first chapter! I always felt interested by the rift that protected the dwarf capital, as there’s room for some interesting developments there. I also already planned some plot twists to make the story a bit more spicy, though this time I want to absolutely include no OC whatsoever, so it will be an exploration story from a team 100% made of Maruyama characters (well, maybe some unique monster races gathered from random lore to make the depths of the rift more interesting!).  
Anyway, I should post the next chapter within 3 days so once again thanks for reading through this rant and see you soon!


	2. Jawbreakers, assemble!

Gondo reached the other side of the portal, only to then find himself in a giant prairie. 

A gentle breeze moved the grass, while a clear sky ill matched the dusk from before he entered the Sorcerer King’s domains. 

While he was wondering in what part of the world he ended up to, what really caught his attention was a very heterogeneous group of individuals who were chatting nearby: a lizardman with one arm significantly bigger than the other was laughing near a giant hamster and one of the undeads that helped repeal the quagoa assault at the dwarven bridge, with two humans Gondo never saw before. 

One was an extremely thin and neurotic-looking man wearing a robe, while the other was a mighty middle aged man with a smooth moustache. 

Both looked to be way past their prime, yet their thrill for the upcoming quest seemed to have shaved off a couple of decades from their faces, who looked fiery and eager for action. 

The strong looking man noticed Gondo’s presence, so he turned towards him.”Oh, so the last member of the team has arrived! 

Welcome to the first adventurer team of the Sorcerous Kingdom, the 'Jawbreakers'! 

From what the lizardman Zenberu told me, you’re already acquainted with him and Momon’s mighty ride Hamsuke, so I’m just going to introduce myself and my friend. 

I am Pluton Ainzach, Guildmaster of the E-Rantel Adventurer Guild and once proud mithril ranked adventurer myself, while this mage-looking guy near me is unsurprisingly a mage and my closest friend: Theo Rakesheer, as well as the guildmaster of the Magician’s Guild”

Gondo was impressed by the description given, as from what he heard mithril rank was only given to people above average and was just a sliver below the top of the top, the adamantite rank. 

These two men must have been real pros in their time and indeed it seemed like they could still pack a punch even now.

“I am Gondo Firebeard, craftsman and Rune Developer. 

I would like to say you can count on me, but I think that for this adventure I will be the one relying on your skills”

The scrawny looking man however shook his head at these self deprecating words.

“That’s not true at all! 

Our mission is to map all the Great Rift near the dwarven capital, so as a dwarf with experience on moving along the rocky terrains and with knowledge on the rift conformations, your contribution will surely be very valuable for this team. 

Now, I believe it is time to use this wonderful item and teleport outside of the Sorcerer King’s domains towards our adventure!” 

Rakesheer screamed while flashing towards the sky a black stone, who sent a beeping noise as if it was a message directed to someone else.

Gondo was surprised that the man implied they were still inside the overlord’s realm as everything from the breeze to the sky above them looked too realistic to be a mere illusion, however before he could mention it he was swallowed by a black inky portal.

The group found itself near the borders of a huge cliff which seemed to have no bottom. 

Its borders were not very steep, but were lined with a series of white rocks that made the whole scenario appear similar to a surreal graveyard, with a mist that prevented them from seeing the innermost sections of the gash in the earth. 

The fact that every expedition in that place resulted with no survivors to tell what they saw gripped the dwarf’s heart in an atavic fear, however this time the ones doing the quest were seasoned veterans… 

Gondo could only hope they were strong enough to handle the perils, but his legs still refused to move despite having to move first to confirm the terrain ahead of them.  
The lizardman noticed his hesitation, so he gave Gondo a powerful pat on the back that made the craftsman briefly gasp for air.

”Don’t worry about what’s in this cranny, little friend! 

I heard that no previous group returned alive, but that was only because I was not there with them! 

We’ll finish this quest in a flash, then be back home roasting fishes and telling everyone about our heroic deeds, bwahahahahah!”

As the dwarf saw that the rest of the group also shared the determination of the lizardman his courage reignited and allowed him to begin descending down the rift.

Luckily the Jawbreakers managed to safely descend for some minutes, until the mage told everyone else to halt.

“Hold on everyone, we have currently gone ahead for a while, so it’s better to map the journey so far”.

He then took out from his bag a book with a cover showing a spoon and a fork crossed over a plate, and opened it. 

However instead of writing on it he simply held the book over his head, with the object speaking with a robotic voice.

“Scanning the surroundings.. Scanning… Ingredient analysis complete!”

As Rakesheer noticed the confusion of his teammates he explained with a satisfied grin his newest trinket.

”This is an item lent to me from the Sorcerer King for the sake of this quest: the [Book of the hardcore Chef]! 

This wondrous item can automatically write a map with the location of every edible ingredient in a 2 miles area. 

It's a perfect item to not only record the surrounding landscape, but also to have an idea of what you can eat!”

The thin looking face of the mage became then shadowed by a doubt when he checked the map.

“What? It says there are 6 sources of meat around us…”

Momon’s ride Hamsuke began then moving his right cheek in discomfort.

“This damn orb inside my mouth has suddenly started rambling about sensing several life presences nearby..:”

Understanding the meaning of these words, Gondo’s heart skipped a beat.

“We’re surrounded....”  
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Author’s space!

Hi dear reader, thanks for waiting so long for this update! I initially thought I could write this chapter during the weekend, but… Things happened and my programs flew off the window. Isn’t it wonderful how reality always differs from what is planned? I find that as a prime reason to keep going on and be surprised by life…  
Anyway, with this new chapter we’ve seen what the new team is: having Zemberu for this quest on a dwarven territory felt natural for me, with his “disciple” Hamsuke and the Death Knight following in tow. I included Ainzach & Rakesheer due to them wishing to go adventuring in vol.10 and thus being some interesting choices for some gags later on (plus they’re important for the finale of this story!). The “Jawbreakers” have begun their descent to explore the Rift, however they already face their first ordeal. What kind of horrors does the cliff from which there’s no return hide? The only way to know it is on the next chapter released…. Hopefully within 2 days this time, as from wednesday onwards I’ll have more free time to focus on writing.  
So once again, thanks for having faith in this story and until the next time!


	3. No break for the Jawbreakers

Despite the warnings there seemed to be no living things around the ‘Jawbreakers’: all they could see around them were white rocks…

The group’s alertness went through the roof, with Zenberu and Ainzach’s bodies tense and ready to spring in any direction, while Rakesheer’s nervous eyes were wide open as he looked to either be ready to cast a spell at any shadow, or to run away at the slightest movement.

Suddenly Hamsuke’s tail shot and hit one of those boulders, which emitted a shriek of pain as it rolled over.

“You were right, orb: that was a living being!”

The mystery of the assailants became clear: those were creatures that were adapted to mimic the surrounding environment, with their elongated, scaly bodies that resembled the layered shades of the pearly stones near 2.5m long, their 8 limbs ending with 3 short and sharp claws that allowed for fast jerky movements among the rocks to maximize the time spent in idleness and maintain the disguise, while the lack of a tail despite their clear reptilian look was likely a genetic evolution to avoid the noise from dragging it while they nimbly acted.

Despite receiving a hard blow from the giant hamster’s tail the creature swiftly got back up, orienting a squat triangular head towards the foe that injured it despite the seeming lack of eyes and hissing, showing a mouth full of very sharp and long teeth.

Immediately the rock formation around the adventurers animated, with half a dozen monsters attacking them from every angle. 

Sensing which was the weakest link among the preys, most of the hunters directed their attention towards the dwarf to reduce the number of enemies.

Gondo felt his doom to be near when looking at the wide open jaws pointed at him, however he was not alone in that deserted place.

A sudden scream of: [Natural Steel Weapon!] was the only warning before a giant green mallet-like punch impacted the head of the creature attacking from the continuation of the passage, sending it flying a few meters away despite its respectable size.

Zenberu then surpassed Gondo and walked towards his opponent while cracking up his knuckles.

”It is time for you monsters to realize why I gave this team the name ‘Jawbreakers’...”

Three more monsters from the back and higher than the group were swiped by Hamsuke’s tail, who then faced them with the help of the Death Knight.

”This is a great chance to test the results of our combined training, Death Knight-dono!” the giant hamster screamed as she started hopping with the roaring undead monster in tow.

The creature striking from the precipice side of the rift was intercepted by Ainzack, who tried to emulate the lizardman’s feat by screaming [Fist of the Senior Citizen!] and striking with a soulful hit to the monster’s abdomen... 

However he got a much more modest result of making the beast slightly recoil, then immediately directing a murderous hiss towards the adventurer.

Seeing that his attack had little effect on the creature the Guildmaster decided it was a battle he should not undertake alone. 

“Uuuh... I might need some backup, Theo!”

The spellcaster buffed his friend with a [Lion’s Heart] and a [Lesser Strength], thus reigniting his fighting spirit, then his hands started glowing as he readied an offensive spell to fire at the right moment.

Now brimming with power and confidence Ainzack prepared to face his foe.

”Do not underestimate us, monster! We might be old, but we can still bite hard!”

The last beast lunged at Gondo, who barely avoided the snapping maw directed at his head by throwing himself on the side. 

The dwarf then took his [Ultimate Shootingstar Morning Star] from its sheath and used it to block the following attack. 

The impact released a blinding light, with the wailing rocky creature thrown half a dozen meters away. 

Once the beast got up, it started hissing while moving around the dwarf’s perimetral vision in swift movements. 

The craftsman could clearly see that the last exchange made the creature weary of a direct confrontation, however the twitching movements were difficult for him to follow. 

As soon as he slightly lost track of the monster two rows of sharp teeth quickly filled his field of sight…  
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Zenberu approached with a confident smile the enemy he sent flying with his punch, which managed to get back on its multiple feets after a moment of hesitation. 

“Oh, I see from your endurance that you are indeed a distant cousin of mine! 

However it seems you did not inherit my species’ good looks…”

The hunter did not understand the words spoken to it, however the relaxed and bold tone of the lizardman unnerved it, so it started hissing menacingly before darting at the enemy’s neck in a zigzag pattern. 

With its mouth wide open the beast managed to pass by Zenberu while scratching him on the right side of his face, though it then wavered and stumbled a bit as during the attack the monk had striked back hard on its scaly venter with a backhander punch.

After caressing the cut on his face the lizardman got angry.

”Damn you rocky freak, are you trying to make me look as ugly as you?”

Despite wanting to reach his opponent and clobber it as punishment for making him drop some blood, Zenbery managed to keep his calm and wait for the next attack: he had gotten used to how fast his opponent was and where its hunter instincts would likely make it strike, so he would not miss the next opportunity to finish the fight.

The creature was getting desperate to finish the fight after receiving multiple painful hits by its prey, so it lunged once again at Zenberu’s throat.

The monk however was prepared for it, so he countered with a devastating uppercut to the monster’s jaws while screaming: “Jawbreak!”, as if he was proud of landing a hit with the same effect as the team name he chose.

The sheer force of the strike sent the already unconscious monster plummeting to the bottom of the rift, allowing the lizardman the luxury of taking a breath after the fight.

As he finished his opponent Zenberu turned back to see how his teammates were faring: Hamsuke and the Death Knight were currently handling three of the rocky creatures. 

Their teamwork surprised the expert lizardman: during the training on the 6th floor of Nazarick the Death Knight showed no sign of learning any martial arts, however his presence helped immensely Hamsuke to learn the undead monster’s attack patterns and predict them. 

This allowed the hamster to know where the Death Knight would attack the rocky monsters and plan her moves to cover his openings and exploit the missteps he would create in the opponents. 

The training and bonding has turned the duo into a versatile two-man-army where both reached a much higher fighting potential than when separated. 

The Death Knight held at bay two of the monsters with his huge tower shield, while he did a forward piercing strike on the third one. 

As the monster leaped to the unguarded side of the undead to avoid the hit and retaliate, Hamsuke leaped towards it, striking it with a dropkick that sent it packing back due to the hamster’s huge weight.

She then used her long tail to unbalance one of the other monsters, allowing the Death Knight to deal a huge gash with his insane strength to the monster, which was then finished by another strike of Hamsuke’s tail.

Realizing they would not need help Zenberu turned to check at the human adventurers to see if they needed help, but they also seemed to have everything under control: the Guildmaster was keeping at bay their opponent’s assaults while the mage was quickly dwindling at its life via a barrage of [Fireball] spells. 

What caught Zenberu’s eye was the clear experience of the fighters: despite their age they were still a force to be reckoned with, as Ainzach was exploiting his higher grounding compared to the beast to deny it space and keep it from climbing to their level, while Rakesheer was timing his area of effect spells so that they would connect right after his friend finished pushing back the monster. 

Overall they seemed to be weaker than Zenberu individually, but when factoring their wits honed through years of surviving tough battles and teamwork, a 2v1 fight between them would have a more uncertain outcome.

Proud of his team Zenberu checked on his last comrade… 

And started worrying as the dwarf seemed completely unable to deal with the predator assaulting him.

The lizardman silently approached the rocky beast that was focused on the downed Gondo who was barely holding it back by putting the mace between the beast’s mouth, then leaped on it. 

The creature realized too late of the danger from the side, so it was tackled by Zenberu beyond the edge of the rift, who then helped Gondo rise back up.

“Are you all right, small friend? These creatures are quite tough… But I’m tougher, bwahahaha!” he concluded while laughing loudly.

Once he got back up Gondo panted heavily to recover from the effort and the shock of the battle.

“Uff.. Uff… Yes, I’m not hurt. I’m sorry I was not of much help for this fight... What about the others?”

The lizardman minimized his own contribution with a wave of his hand.

“Worry not about it, Gondo-kun! 

Everyone has different fields where they shine: you’re good at making sure we can safely descend this slippery rocky route, while I am good at breaking the rocky creatures! 

Regarding our comrades there is nothing to worry, they’re almost as strong as me... Look!”

Indeed the Jawbreakers had just finished their opponents and were regrouping with the lizardman and the dwarf.

Ainzach was cracking his neck with a satisfied expression on his face. 

“Whew, I haven’t felt the thrill of battle for far too long. 

This adventure is doing wonders to dust off all the rust gained in these years of handling the Adventurer's Guild duties behind a desk”

Rakesheer felt the same way as his friend.

“Indeed, breathing fresh air while journeying into the unknown makes me feel like when I was a young apprentice doing errands for my teacher! 

Speaking of assignments, there’s something that we have to do…” he said while taking out the black stone he used once to conjure the portal.

He once again raised the item to the sky, who started beeping as if it was communicating with a distant individual. 

After a few moments a hole into the space opened near the mage, who then urged his friends:

”Quick, take the corpses and throw them into the portal! 

The book said they were edible, so they should be a prized extra reward for the Sorcerer King”

Having understood the group took the four monsters that were not thrown into the abyss by Zenberu and dumped them inside the gate, which closed once the mage sent another signal via the stone.

The group then continued the descent for the bottom of the Great Rift, with Rakesheer periodically pausing to scan the surroundings with the [Book of the Wild Chef]. 

The item detected a few times the presence of chicken meat, however it seemed that the fauna of the area had wisened up and learned to not bother the intruding group, limiting themselves to move on the sidelines for an opportunity to strike. 

It was not an ideal situation, but searching for all the disguised monsters would sap away at their stamina so this sort of ‘truce’ was accepted by the group, who focused on finishing their quest.

However in one of the scannings the [Book of the Wild Chef] found the presence of a high quality meat approaching them, yet the Jawbreakers could see no enemy anywhere near them. 

Suddenly Gondo had a hunch and looked above them: a huge flying snake was silently flapping its wings towards the group, landing with a rumble behind them. 

Gondo had heard about that type of monster: a wyrm, a smaller yet more ferocious variation of the dragons that lost the legs during evolution in exchange for a sinuous serpentine body that allowed for strong snapping attacks and easier hiding inside the crevices of rocky places like the Great Rift.

The apex predator roared as he raised its head as it prepared itself to attack the group.  
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Deep in the bottom of the Great Rift the fall of the rocky beasts thrown from Zenberu echoed, awakening with the noise the strongest entity of the Great Rift. 

He had remained in that place for so long he forgot how much time had passed, but he was finally ready to leave that forsaken place. 

The preparations for his comeback were finally complete, so he would use the intruders as tests for his newfound power before making a glorious return to the surface to take back what was once his. 

He approached the chained wyrm near his bed and with a strike from his claw slew it: the beast had served its purpose anyway, and he soon would have new toys to play with…  
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Author’s space!  
Hi dear reader, thanks for reading! As promised, I finished this chapter within Wednesday (first time I actually managed to keep my word, I’m awful, sob!).  
When writing this chapter one thing became clear to me: I need a proofreader! I can notice mistakes in the plot by myself (like the group splitting to go fight the rocky beasts in a passage where they hardly have the room to walk, urk, I feel ashamed for not noticing it immediately. I made the beasts attack from all directions then wrote each member focusing on one side to give a sense of them fighting closer to each other, but then I realized the writing was not ending up as fluid as I hoped and THAT is where I feel like a proofreader would shine: to take the confused mess of a narration and give it a sense! And also to correct my murder attempts at the english language lol)  
Ahem… Anyway, we have now seen each member of the ‘Jawbreakers’ fight, with a few parts that I enjoyed imagining like the human duo refusing to give in to old age and still having moments of awesome, or the syncing between the Death Knight and Hamsuke. When reading about their training I felt that their time spent together could have make them better at fighting together, so I tried giving that feeling in this story, yay for more moments of Hamsuke & Death Knight being best pals!  
As for the last part, I wanted to finish the chapter with the “final boss” realizing his turn has been invaded and begin his walk towards the group. I think I should be able to finish the story within 2 chapters, but I’ll make sure there to be a few plot twists that I hope will be difficult to realize.  
So... Until the next chapter and thanks again for reading!


	4. A jawdropping discovery

The winged serpent growled as it prepared to face the preys in front of it. 

Gondo was expecting a thundering roar fitting of a powerful race, but after a moment of thought he realized that the wyrms must have been treated as food by their more massive distant cousins, the dragons, and thus learned to act more stealthily to avoid unwanted attention. 

However that made the creature in front of the Jawbreakers even more terrifying, as it must have surely cumulated lots of pent up anger from having their place as apex predators denied by destiny.

The wyrm opened its maw, with the dwarf seeing the deepest recesses of the throat that were getting increasingly brighter.

Understanding the danger the Jawbreakers all threw themselves to the ground, with Hamsuke pushing his undead friend safely away.

The group was expecting an elemental breath kind of attack, however once it charged itself enough the monster fired a comparatively small yet very dense azure beam that managed to hit Zenberu in the right shoulder, then continuing to quickly melt the rocks behind him. 

That shot was much less efficient than the dragons’ burst that could clear entire armies in one swoop, however it was more effective in a 1v1 scenario as it had a higher piercing strength. 

It also made any kind of hiding meaningless as it would pass through most obstacles and hit the prey regardless.

Gondo looked with worry as he saw the kneeling lizardman imprecated while he suppressed the pain from its wound.

”Curse you flying sausage, you hit my favourite arm! Forget being steak, I’ll make sure you’ll be minced meat!”

Then inexplicably the monk raised his uninjured arm towards his comrade Rakesheer who was readying a healing spell.

”Stop it, don’t heal me!” he warned, then seeing the confusion in the eyes of the human he reassured him.

”I have a plan, but I need you to leave me like this for a bit more…”  
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The wyrm saw the lizardman that was hit by the beam shakily getting up, so it decided to attack the wounded one first. 

The humongous serpent flapped its wings as it darted towards the lizardman, who screamed:”Now!” with a thunderous voice.  
The monster saw that the wounded arm regenerated quickly, then both the lizardman and the bulky human got enveloped by a faint halo.

The prey somehow managed to stop the wyrm’s charge after saying [Steel Skin!] and grabbing its muzzle with his bare hands.

While the creature was confused by the sudden display of bravery of the food in front of it, the wonder then turned into disbelief when its belly got grabbed by the stout adventurer, then got lifted off by the combined efforts of the two lower life forms. 

A sudden fireball struck the monster in the eyes, blinding it as it felt itself flipped and thrown by its capturers. 

The lack of sight and disordinate hurl prevented the slithering creature from thinking straight as it flung onwards, until it heard a squeaky voice screaming [Zangeki!] as 3 slashes befell to its head.  
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Gondo watched as the wyrm was struck by the two Hamsuke’s paws and the Death Knight’s blade, with the combined attack being enough to make it violently twist the scaly head towards a nearby rock and crush it.

The dwarf did not dare to breathe as he was nervously waiting to see if the monster moved after that blow, but it was immobile. 

Just as he was starting to feel relieved the monster started twitching, like a puppet whose strings have been reconnected. 

With a growl Gondo saw the irate wyrm raising its head to look at the group who damaged it, then preparing to strike…

Before it could move however a sudden strike from behind it pierced its hide, making it shudder violently before dropping to the ground like if its life strings had been cut.

With a strike the strongest entity in the Rift moved the fresh cadaver of the monster, revealing itself: a bipedal machine similar to a heavy armor standing about as tall as the humans near Gondo, with the left hand ending with three sharp claws, the right one holding a hammer and covered by a full chainmail approached the Jawbreakers with heavy steps, producing a metallic sound every time the feet slammed against the ground.

The shape of that monster was terrifying, however what left Gondo completely aghast was its head: encased in a helmet of the same material as the chainmain Gondo saw a familiar face he did not see for years.

The Forgemaster…  
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Author’s space!  
Hi dear reader, thanks for reaching this far! It took me a bit more time to finish this chapter, because I got lost thinking the next one, so I had to think how to make a battle against the wyrm and could not decide on some parts: for example I wanted to make Zenberu attract the monster’s attention via a rock flung by his inhuman strength as a monk to irritate it, but in the end I found that having him hold up the healing to trick the predator into thinking he was an easy prey was a better show of his tactical skills. Also once I finish making this story I’ll probably change the wyrm into some other mythical creature as the wyrm already exists in Overlord LN so I don’t like to subvert the original setting too much.  
As for the strongest enemy, I promised in the summary I would not include any OC so of course it should be someone already existing in the LN: the Forgemaster! We all wondered where he could have gone once he stole Ainz’s ingot so I thought it would be fun to place him at the bottom of the Great Rift, filled with rage over his comrades’ betrayal of his race. What will happen in the next (and last) chapter? I’ve prepared a few plot twists for it, so try to expect the unexpected! This story will end up in a weird way, just how a like a story to be!  
Anyhow, thanks again for reading and hopefully we’ll see ourselves for the grand finale!


	5. Hold your jaws for the end!

Gondo watched in horror as the connubium between a fiendish machinery and the single most insufferable dwarf of their race approached the Jawbreakers with heavy steps while dragging the hammer held in his right arm. 

The crazed eyes of the Forgemaster were staring at the enemies in front of him, pondering which of them he should attack first, then they locked on Gondo. 

As he recognized the craftsman the delirating expression of the Forgemaster was dyed with jubilation. 

“You…!”

The mecha clad dwarf then changed his direction towards the other member of his race, however his view became obstructed by a huge green obstacle.

“Where do you think you’re going, scarecrow? 

If you want help to get out of that shimmering costume of yours, then I’m more expert at dismantling junk than our little friend behind me!”

The Forgemaster realized from the looks of the opponents in front of him that they would not let him reach easily his prey, so with a roar he sprinted towards the nearest enemy, hitting with a powerful swipe of his left claw the Death Knight’s huge tower shield, thus exposing the undead for a following bash with the hammer on the undead’s ribcage. 

Despite the huge weight and size of the unliving monster it was thrown violently to the rocky wall, where the thundering Death Knight was buried under the rubble from the impact.

As his eyes were processing the result of that hit Gondo immediately heard a roar coming from someone in front of him, however it surprisingly did not come from Hamsuke. 

Ainzack saw the powerful undead getting bashed by the enemy, however the notion of the danger was obfuscated by his outrage. 

“How dare you do this to the companion of the Wise King of the Forest?! 

I’ve seen how much she cares for that undead, I will not forgive you for what you’ve done!”

Once he heard those words Gondo understood the Guildmaster’s feelings: he was not worried for an undead that hates all the livings, but for someone that shared a bond with one of his companions. 

That trait was the reason why the man was in charge of the adventurer’s guild, as he had a more valuable quality for a leader than pure strength, which was empathy.

With one quick glance at his friend Rakesheer, Ainzack silently asked him for support, then threw himself at the armored dwarf like an unstoppable meteor of fury.

The human barely waited for the enhancement cast from his teammate to have effect before screaming:”Take this ultimate move, [Chop of the Centenary]!” and doing a downward slash with his hand to the dwarf’s head using all his strength.

The impact produced a sound gong as the armor was shaken by the hit, however all it managed to do was annoy the enemy, who turned his attention towards the Guildmaster.

“You cursed bell ringer, I’ll teach you to keep your hands in place... In Hell!”

The crazed dwarf did a swipe with his left claw towards the human, however the attack was intercepted by Zenberu, who had seen the teammate bravely charging forwards and after grunting a:”Why did you attack by yourselves? You stole my spotlight...”, decided to amplify his defenses with a [Steel Skin] to manage to block the hit.

Despite the boost the blow still knocked the lizardman off his feet, sending him flying back against Ainzack and then Rakesheer, with the trio crashing against the rocky walls, where they laid motionlessly like puppets whose strings had been cut.

Once he finished dealing with those obstacles, the crazed eyes of the Forgemaster locked on Gondo once more, with the armored dwarf returning to walk towards his goal. 

However he had only the time to do a couple of steps before a giant shadow loomed over him, soon followed by a squeaky voice saying:[Zangeki!].

The Forgemaster did not have enough time to fully dodge, so the strike managed to hit him in the chest as Hamsuke’s right claws left four marks in the seemingly indestructible armor. 

The already insane expression of the dwarf worsened as he became irate for the damage to his creation, however it was matched by the wrathful eyes of the Wise King of the Forest, who howled:”Prepare yourself to pay for what you did to my valiant teammates, fiend!”.

Both the fighters stepped forward to clash, however Hamsuke had seen the arm strength of the construct that housed the crazed dwarf, so she hopped sideways at the last moment while using the tail to trip his legs and open him for a follow up hook with her claw. 

She once more used [Zangeki] to slash at the heavy armor’s flank that made the dwarf grunt in pain, however the momentum allowed the forgemaster to rotate his hammer and land a devastating strike to the giant hamster’s belly, then before she could recover he followed up with a second hit on the same spot while handling the weapon with both hands, that sent the Wise King of the Forest far up where the group had come from.

The Forgemaster coughed a few times, sending a lump of blood to the ground. 

It appeared that the strikes the dwarf received from the mighty beast caused some internal damage, however he could still move.

With a wide grin he once more started moving with heavy but determined steps towards Gondo, who had his legs paralyzed from fear as the engine of death was inexorably closing on him, commenting: “How ironic that once again I see that you resorted to get help from monstrous species, just like that time when you got back to the capital with that damned undead…”

The crazed dwarf then grabbed the craftsman’s head with his claw, then violently slammed him on the ground before making an opening gesture with his arms.

”Look at what I created without asking help from anyone! 

As soon as I understood how powerful the metal from the ingot left from the Sorcerer King was, I decided to use it to create a weapon that could bring down that powerful undead. 

However, as the dwarven furnaces could not make a strong enough heat to shape the ore, I had to embark on a journey to find the powerful flames I required. 

After much research I encountered the wyverns that lived at the bottom of the Great Rift, whose breath could melt the ingot. 

Once I managed to trap one of them I could finally use my knowledge of Golem crafting to make a version that I could control from the inside and I shaped its exoskeleton and joints with the Sorcerer King’s metal…”

At which point the insane individual paused to seize Gondo again before continuing in a whisper:”...do you know why I’m telling you these things rather than just killing you outright?”

he asked before widening his mouth in a full smile that looked like a grotesque parody of a happy face done with modeling clay by a toddler with very poor artistic skills. 

“Because I want to make you go to the afterlife with the notion that I am better than you in every way, also I will go to murder all your friends on the surface and once I’ll get myself crowned as the new King of the dwarves, I’ll have you labeled as a traitor of your species and your useless ways of befriending other species as heresy!”

As soon as he finished uttering those words Gondo started to struggle while ensnared by the armor’s grip, something that the armored dwarf found amusing so he opened his claw, dropping the enemy to the ground.

The craftmaster took a few breaths once he was freed before turning a sharp gaze at the crazy individual in front of him.

”You are correct: I am barely a fraction of how skilled you are, however even someone worthless like me has managed to reach the same results of the most skilled of our contemporaries thanks to the help of my fellow Runemasters and my generous benefactor, the Sorcerer King! 

I know that the most sane choice right now would be denouncing them and begging for your forgiveness... 

However I will never do that!”

The dwarf then grabbed his [Ultimate Shooting Star Morning Star], before readying himself to lunge at his opponent. 

“My life only has meaning through the bonds I made, I could never renounce them like you did!”

The Forgemaster felt it was the perfect timing for finishing the betrayer of his race when the latter’s fighting spirit was at his highest, so he prepared his mace to strike him down but then the unexpected happened.

The runecrafting worked by inscribing magic runes on the object who gave it unique abilities, however on rare occasions those abilities could have similar properties and thus mix together for a stronger effect.

As the dwarves only managed to use simple runes to manage to write 5 of them in the weapon Gondo currently had, the effects should have been weak. 

However the runes of defense, wind, light, endurance and balance mixed out together in one skill: [Revenge Counter!], that repelled up to a force comparable to a lv30 warrior slash back to the attacker with 1.5x the strength and a 10 minutes.cooldown.

When the two weapons collided Gondo was knocked back half a dozen feet as the enemy’s attack was too powerful, however the Forgemaster was flung by the recoil as the skill activated in its full strength, sending him screaming down to the bottom of the rift.  
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Ainzach woke up abruptly, screaming “Come at me, you scrap junk! It’s time to show you my true life vocation as a dismantler!”

He then realized his enemy was nowhere in sight, with Zenberu and Gondo looking at him with dubious faces. 

He then saw Hamsuke and the Death Knight standing near him, so he turned his face to one side, while smiling and one manly tear falling from his closed eyes.

”I see, both of them are okay… I can die happy now...Not!”

He screamed as he opened wide his eyes. 

“I have just begun my second youth, my life cannot end now! 

Speaking of which, wake up you sleepyhead!” he urged as he turned to his comrade Rakesheer that had been squashed behind him and the giant reptile when they were thrown to the wall.

The scrawny man coughed a couple of times, before faintly opening one of his eyes.

”Urk... If you were about to ask about it, you and that big lizard still weighed less upon my chest than my former responsibilities as head of the Magician Guild…!”

Once he was sure his friend was fine, the Guildmaster turned towards Zenberu.

”What happened…? 

The last thing I remember was hitting that damn piece of metal trash, then everything went green… Then black….”

The lizardman shrugged, before answering:”I’ve also been defeated by that sly fellow, but I regained my senses just in time to see him blasted away by the weapon our little friend was carrying…” he concluded by pointing at the [Ultimate Shooting Star Morning Star].

Ainzach made a surprised expression at that statement.”Woooh, is that one of the famed Runic weaponsTM of the Sorcerous Kingdom! 

I see, so they’re powerful indeed. 

It would be good to have a few of them myself…” he pondered, before getting up with a grunt and then extending a hand to help Rakesheer in standing up.

The group then continued walking until they found a crevasse blocking their way down. 

Before continuing Rakesheer profited from the occasion to take out his [Book of the hardcore Chef] to scan the progress so far.

The book analyzed the surroundings before coming with the results: apparently they were not far from the bottom... 

Also it seemed that there were fifteen sources of rare meat around them.

With a nervous smile Rakesheer turned towards his teammates.”Well, it seems that we mapped almost all of the Great Rift...   
I think that is enough adventure for today, who feels the same as me? 

We should get back here in the future when we’re fully rested… And possibly fully equipped with runecrafted weapons...”

As the others agreed with him he hastily took out his black stone, who started beeping a signal towards the sky before a portal opened.

The Jawbreakers swiftly jumped inside the portal as they started hearing multiple growls nearing them…

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With a sweeping motion of his hand Ainz ended the spell he was using on the Mirror of Remote Viewing to spy the team he sent to the Great Rift.

“Umu, it seems everything went fine in the end…”

He had long since scanned the depths of the Great Rift, so when he had seen that the dwarf who stole his ingot had created that armor he thought that was the perfect opportunity to sponsor his RunecraftTM. 

He thus gathered exemplars of different species of his domains that had not yet seen the engraved weapons in action in one group and sent them to explore the “unknown land”, fully knowing that there was an enemy that could not be defeated by them. 

He freaked out for a moment when he saw that Hamsuke could actually hold her own against the armored dwarf: he had not expected her to have grown so much during her training in the 6th Floor of Nazarick, however it all ended up as he had hoped.

The individuals of both the lizardman and human species had seen how effective the RunecraftedTM weapons could be, so they will talk about them and spread news of them, thus making good easy marketing. He also had the whole place mapped for all its ingredients which could be useful in case he needed rare ingredients in the future, so that felt like downing two enemies with one AoE.

With his spirit reinvigorated by this successful strategy, Ainz started pondering what he should try out next…  
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Author’s space!  
Hi dear reader! First of all, thanks for reading and I’m sorry to have taken so long to write this chapter. I had every scene thought out a week ago, but I got a sudden deadline at my job, so my routine became a mess and my time to write had to be forgotten for a while T.T Still, I finally managed to finish this short story without dropping it, yay!  
This is the first story that I made with 100% original characters and no new one whatsoever (apart from the wyverns, but they were necessary to explain how the Forgemaster could actually melt that metal and I STILL intend to change them into another species as soon as I can find the time to sit down for a few minutes to think of an interesting one).  
Anyway, I’m glad that you kept reading up to this point and I hope you will follow the upcoming story that I intend to write in about 2-3 days regarding…. SPOILERS!)


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